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“I’ll grab a broom,” Jackson says, going into the garage and sorting through the various pieces of gardening equipment on the other side.
Strong hands land on my shoulders, and I’m tugged into a warm, comforting hug, one I didn’t even know I needed. Jason’s arms wrap completely around me, enveloping me whole so I disappear in his protective embrace.
He smells like cedarwood and spice andhome.
“It’ll be okay,” he says into my hair.
No, it won’t be, but it’s okay, because it’s out of my control.
There’s a clatter in the garage, then, “Ow! Fuck!”
Jason exhales slowly, as if praying for patience. “Let me go check on him.”
“I’m going to call Gia again,” I say, and he gives me one last comforting squeeze before letting go.
Her phone might still be off, or if it isn’t she might not answer for fear of a scolding, but I just want to know she’s okay. I don’t even know if she made it onto the bus or if she went somewhere else or if she changed her mind or if something happened and she’s lying in a ditch somewhere, and it’s the not knowing that makes me feel hopelessly out of control, makes the pressure in my chest more unrelenting.
I press Gia’s name and hold the phone to my ear, expecting to be sent to voicemail immediately like the last hundred times. But there’s a ring, and my heart stops for a moment.
She doesn’t answer, of course she doesn’t, but I leave a voicemail begging her to call me back, then immediately click theFind My Friendsapp.
Her phone is on, which means her location will be updated, which means I can see where she is and if she’s okay.
I refresh the app, staring at her name until her location pops up.
As of one minute ago, her location is . . . the bus stop?
My stomach drops.
“Jason!” I yell, refreshing the app again as if it was mistaken and will change.
Things clang and rattle, and then Jason is in front of me like he teleported, tense and ready to eliminate any threat.
“What’s wrong?” His eyes scan my face and the dark road around us.
“Gia’s location says she’s still at the bus station. Her bus was supposed to leave over an hour ago—why would she still be there? Did something happen to her? Is she hurt? Does someone else have her phone?”
I should’ve asked Jason and Jackson to take me to the bus stations as soon as they got here instead of resigning myself to the fact that Gia was gone and dealing with the wreck first. Maybe that could’ve been the difference between something awful happening to her or not.
Jason snaps into action immediately. “All right, go lock up. I’ll grab Jackson’s keys, and we’ll go to the station to see what’s going on. Jackson will take care of everything here.”
I’m too busy running through all the worst-case scenarios to argue. Gia’s my little sister, and she’s always depended on me to protect her, and here I am, failing her.
She could be hurt or scared, and maybe she feels like she can’t tell me because she’s scared of my reaction, especially after everything we argued about today, and the wreck, and the way we’ve been disagreeing about Florence.
I lock the front door and run to where Jackson’s car is parked by the curb. Jason meets me there, keys in hand, rushing around to the driver’s side.
“Don’t worry, Siena,” Jackson calls from the driveway, broom and garbage bag in hand. “I’ll clean everything up and drive the car to the shop. You just worry about Gia.”
“Thanks, Jackson,” I reply, hopping into the front seat and buckling up as I try calling Gia again. No answer.
“We’ll be there before you know it,” Jason vows.
He starts the car, then makes good on his promise by breaking almost every speed limit on the way.
Seventeen
Jason pulls up to a seedy part of town that reminds me of the area we lived in with Aunt Julie. Gia always complained about feeling unsafe there, like she couldn’t walk two feet without being accosted or followed or feeling like she was being watched, so I’m sure she feels the exact same here right now.
